The Camellia Dining Chair
Part of a series of three, this chair represents the affinity that Mademoiselle (Coco Chanel) had for her favorite flower, the camellia—artfully carved into the chair’s mahogany.

Feather Mirror
Hand-carved feathers radiate from the center of this playful design, displaying a circular fluid motion around the central mirror.

The Guy Code

A stint in the south of France inspires a new lifestyles collection by celebrated designer Christopher Guy—not to mention an entire career path.

Lily Hansen | Photo: Courtesy of The Ross Group | January 10, 2013

Born in Britain, raised in Spain and France, and currently a resident of Singapore, Christopher Guy has established himself as much for his sophisticated designs as the thought-provoking thematic elements behind each collection. Recently debuting Mademoiselle, his lifestyle collection drawing inspiration from the opulent elegance of 1920s Paris, Guy articulates the narrative he envisioned to set the stage for the French Art Deco-reminiscent designs. “The Mademoiselle collection takes its influence from my own interpretation of how Coco Chanel’s home, as an affluent 38-year-old, would look if she were alive today,” says Guy. “I wanted to embrace this style and capture it within the pieces to create a fresh collection with elegant values.” Succeeding his latest flagship store in West Hollywood by breaking ground in New York City and Las Vegas in the coming months, the cosmopolitan creator has made great strides since his premiere shop opened in a provisional Java, Indonesia, bamboo warehouse and has gradually solidified his status in the decorative furnishings market on all four points of the globe.

Protagonist of a memoir that reads like a fairy tale, Guy first carved out his design niche as a teenager in the south of France by helping his stepfather build the family home. He rediscovered his design inclinations just as his property market career floundered in the early ’90s, and founded a mirror frame company called Harrison & Gil. Inspired by the gilded finishes and ornate motifs of the Baroque and Neoclassical periods, Guy’s pieces attracted the attention of Harrods in London—the first to merit his work as worthy of the renowned department store’s standards of elegance and modernity. “As a teenager I used to visit Harrods,” says Guy, “and was awed by its wonder, sense of history and the way it oozes luxury.”

Renaming the brand Christopher Guy in 2006, the designer has since expanded his Java, Indonesia, workshop to include one million square feet of land to accommodate the demand for his decorative accents, which have stolen the spotlight in both hotel lobbies and on Hollywood movie sets. Exuding composition and symbolism with his Mademoiselle collection, Guy lends new meaning to the term “statement piece.” He also introduced his custom “Coco” wood finish, which bathes his cabinets, chairs and tables in rich chocolate brown hues. Suggestive of the stately collection’s moniker, one can imagine ’20s icon Zelda Fitzgerald lounging upon the sleek lines of Guy’s chaise or holding court upon the celestial and botanical carved chairs awash in striking gold and red hues.

Guy fearlessly blurs the line between high art and interiors by creating museum-worthy pieces that attract attention at his four-and-counting showrooms across the country. “My pieces are a harmonious combination of period elements and timeless design—with a contemporary twist,” explains Guy. “Good design is all about visual balance, and I think the finest and most enduring designs tend to be pure rather than fussy. As a designer, my work is never done—I am always tweaking, changing and creating new designs as I continue to be inspired by my travels and my inner perfectionist.”